Internet usage in New Zealand is, not surprisingly, on the increase :)

Apparently, we’re choosing easier access to the internet, more data and faster access. Huzzah! Statistics New Zealand has released the results of the 2011 Internet Service Provider Survey, saying the following:

A greater number of subscribers had access to faster upload speeds in 2011. The proportion of those with upload speeds of 1.5 megabits per second (Mbps) or more increased by over 70 percent in the year ended June 2011. The most common upload speeds remain between 256 kilobits per second (kbps) and 1.5Mbps, however, the number of subscribers using slower speeds is declining.

The number of subscribers using alternative technologies, such as cellular, cable, and satellite connections, increased by almost 50 percent between June 2010 and June 2011. Additionally, almost 2 million New Zealanders used a mobile phone to access the Internet in the three months prior to 30 June 2011. ’This reflects the developments in Internet-accessible devices such as tablets, pocket WiFi, and smartphones,’ ICT Statistics Manager, Jean Watt said.

The total number of broadband subscribers increased 14 percent since 2010 to almost 1.5 million subscribers. The number of broadband subscribers overtook the number of dial-up subscribers for the first time in 2007. Four years later broadband subscribers accounted for over 85 percent of the overall number of subscribers to the Internet.

The Internet Service Provider Survey covers all Internet service providers in New Zealand and is run annually.

And, if you’re wanting a quick digest of the full release, some quick facts below:

Key facts

The total number of broadband subscribers increased by 14 percent, to almost 1.5 million between June 2010 and June 2011.

The largest growth rate of all broadband connections was in cellular, cable, and satellite connections. When combined, these increased almost 50 percent since June 2010.

Almost 80 percent of broadband subscribers at June 2011 had a data cap of 5 gigabytes (GB) or more, with the most common cap between 5 and 20GB.

The number of subscribers with an upload speed of 1.5Mbps or more increased by almost three quarters since 2010.

The average subscriber consumed 9GB of data per month between June 2010 and June 2011.

In the three months prior to 30 June 2011, 1.9 million New Zealanders had active Internet subscriptions via a mobile phone.

The full results can be seen in PDF form below, or downloaded here. You an also find the data tables here.

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